I am not anti-volleyball. Or anti-soccer. Or anti-any-sport-a-girl-enjoys-playing. What matters is that she wants to play and has fun, or there’s no reason to play in the first place.  

But when players say they chose another sport over basketball because basketball is boring and lacks teamwork, I have to ask: What have we done to basketball?

As I’ve written about previously, kids are dropping out of sports for many reasons at a young age. In 2019, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) reported the first decline in high school sports participation in 30 years.

And now I’m learning that numbers in girls’ basketball specifically are dropping. In this article about girls’ basketball in Indiana—the state known for basketball—several reasons are cited for the decline in interest. But I am jolted by the chart midway down the page where you can see with a click what has happened to participation since the late 1970s. 

• In 1979 when I was a senior player in Illinois, Indiana had over 9500 girls playing high school basketball.

• In 1998-99 when my husband coached girls in Wisconsin, Indiana reached a high point of 12,500 girls playing high school basketball. 

• In 2009-10 right between my two daughters’ graduation years, Indiana was down to 9000 players, fewer than when I was a senior and the sport was in its infancy.

• In 2018-19, the number was down to an all-time low of 7,721. Almost 2,000 fewer girls than when the sport was first offered!

Not a coincidence

I don’t think it’s just coincidence that the numbers drop dramatically in the late 1990s when club teams started and some parents and coaches decided kids should play year-round. The cost and commitment prevent many kids from participating.

I would guess that numbers in Illinois and Wisconsin are similar. The chart further down the page shows Wisconsin is one of the states with the greatest losses. Numbers dropped by over 2400 girls from 2009-10 to 2018-19.

Some of the decline can be attributed to dropping enrollments in schools. But as Coach Adam Yoder described his 2019-20 season, it’s more likely about girls losing interest.

“This is the first year that I can remember where we didn’t have a freshman team. And that wasn’t so much a lack of freshman numbers; it was girls in between our freshman and senior class that didn’t come out.”

- Adam Yoder

Another Indiana coach, Kelly Fox, has seen middle school numbers drop by half since 1990.

The coaches interviewed for the story cite a variety of reasons for the decline:

• The expectation to specialize in one sport

• The demands of travel basketball in the off-season

• Increasing popularity of other girls’ sports and other activities

• The expense of playing basketball

• Kids being pulled in too many directions 

I have heard anecdotally that in Wisconsin, many girls are leaving basketball to play volleyball.

Apparently, that’s been happening across the nation the last few years. In the ESPNW article, Why volleyball—not basketball—is winning the popular vote, several young players explain why they prefer volleyball. Some don’t like the contact and roughness of basketball and others are burned out on the demands of playing year-round.

But one player’s quote stopped me cold: 

"I love basketball -- to watch," she said. "I love to play volleyball. In basketball, I could post up and score. In volleyball, you have to be good at everything. You have to work together more. In basketball, you can own the court. It can be your show. For volleyball, you need everybody."

What?

What have we done to basketball? 

Basketball is one of the most complex games to play. To play well, you have to master several fundamental skills: bounce, chest, and overhead passes; ball handling (with both hands) at different speeds in different directions; blocking out and rebounding; and man-to-man and zone defenses.

Then, you learn to combine those skills with your teammates’ to see the court, run the offense, anticipate where your teammate will be, and work together to score on your opponent.

At least in theory.

But over the past couple of decades, too much emphasis on individuals and scoring has eroded the strategic game of basketball. As the player stated, “It can be your show.”

When a complex game is reduced to running down the court and scoring, it does become boring. And if they are expected to do it year-round, I can see why girls are saying “no thanks.”

If volleyball was reduced to serving an unreturned ball every time—if there were no volleys, no bump-set-spikes, it would become boring, too.

The beauty and challenge of basketball is in the strategy and teamwork. And on an individual level, there is always room to improve skills.

There are many solid reasons kids drop out of sports. But girls leaving basketball because it is boring? That’s just one more piece of evidence that youth sports need reinventing.  

Read more

Hoops in the Hoosier State: A game changed, Playing the same game: Participation in girls basketball facing similar decline, obstacles as boys, by Austin Hough, The Herald Bulletin, April 25, 2020.

Participation in High School Sports Registers First Decline in 30 Years, by NFHS, September 05, 2019 nfhs news.

Why volleyball -- not basketball -- is winning the popular vote, by Vicki L. Friedman, ESPNW, February 10, 2017